GATHERING MARKS FURROW'S VILLAINY.

Residents and community leaders gathered Thursday evening for a somber ceremony to mark the second anniversary of the North Valley Jewish Community Center and killing of Filipino-American postal worker Joseph Ileto.

The evening event, coming days after this week's attack on the East Coast, remembered those impacted by hate violence and mourned the deaths of thousands harmed in the worst attack in American history.

``People wanted to come together,'' said event organizer Dana Friedlander. ``There is a sense of the community coming together at a time like this.''

Held at the county's Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, the event drew 150 participants, including leaders of the region's human relations community.

The evening of reflection was to include various speakers and presentations.

It was sponsored by various organizations, including the American Jewish Committee, Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission, Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Family of Joseph Ileto, among others.

On Aug. 10, 1999, white supremacist Buford Furrow Jr. wounded five people, including three children, at the Jewish center, then shot and killed Ileto.

Furrow was sentenced in March to two life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Since the attack, Ileto's family has campaigned for more anti-hate legislation to honor his memory.